


Follow your path

by byFAW



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Slow Build, Slow Burn, damn how do I tag that, embrace eternity, family bonds, science and sci-fi oh my, soulmate never dies, we will see where we go from here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:56:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10788060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byFAW/pseuds/byFAW
Summary: This story takes place three years after the end of ME:AThings went south when Ryder and her team went after the Quarian's Ark.It was a trap, they couldn't do anything to stop the Kett from taking Ryder away.Is she dead? Is she alive? How's everybody doing in her absence? It was just the beginning. New ennemies, betrayals, friendships, discoveries and more to come.





	1. Song of hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about Ryder and Peebee and I was like... "A true love story needs to make you feel things".. and I was like "yeah, I need to suffer" lol... No, joking. But for this relationship to grow and have more depth, well.. they're gonna need to go through hard stuffs. They have a huge potential and I'm curious about what they can do. Same for the whole team. I like the characters and their dynamics. Let's see if I can do something with it.

_Jour 1126_

_Three years. It_ _took three years to find a concrete lead. Surprisingly, she’s the one who never lost hope. She’s the one who brought us all together when we thought it was a waste of time and resources. When we thought Ryder was long lost and dead.  I should have known better._

_Dr. Lexi T’Perro_

 

“I don’t remember saying I wanted company”, hissed Vetra when she felt someone standing behind her.

“And I thought I was your favorite”, retorded the rogue Asari.

“Holy shit, Peebee?!” Vetra raised so fast from her stool than Peebee wasn’t ready when the Turian hugged her. It felt strange, a memory of old times, or so it seems. Time was a weird shit for her. A hundred years could feel like a heartbeat and three years like eternity… Vetra must have felt she was starting to feel uncomfortable and decided to let go of her.

“Hey, how are you doing, V?”, smiled Peebee. They sat at the counter and Umi asked the Asari if she wanted a drink.

“Something strong, I need it.”

Vetra looked at her friend for a moment, trying to read her.

“I’m ok, I guess. Same old same. Actually I have to meet with a client but maybe we could catch up later and…”

Peebee lifted her hand to stop Vetra while emptying her glass in one sip and put it back on the counter in one quick motion.

“Don’t bother, Prika Biva won’t come anytime soon”, she said, her eyes still on the empty glass. Vetra wasn’t amused. Losing a client didn’t do any good for her business.

“What do you mean, he won’t come anytime soon? What did you do Peebee?”

The Asari heard the annoyment in Vetra’s voice and so she turned to face her.

“ _She_ won’t be there because _she_ doesn’t exist, Vetra.” Peebee saw that Vetra was lost so she tried to help. “ _P_ rika. _B_ iva. Do you understand or…?”

When Vetra put one and one together, all kind of emotions passed on her face. Recognition, anger, curiosity, worry.

“Why did you use a fake name to contact me? What’s wrong?”

Peebee held Vetra’s glance for long seconds, silently saying that what she was going to say was serious and important and….

“I found a lead.”

She didn’t need to say about what, she didn’t need to say anything else for Vetra to understand. Kralla’s Song was crowded but for the two of them, the only thing they could hear was the beating of their own heart, pounding in their ears.

But then, Vetra regained her cold and remembered the last time Peebee’s found a lead.

“Peebee…”, started the Turian.

“Don’t Peebee me! Just. Don’t.” The Asari’s face was harder than the first time Vetra met her. It was strange to see that kind of change in such a short time for an Asari.

“It’s just that the last time you said that, it ended up being for nothing and you almost died… Ryder wouldn’t want you to…”

Peebee cut her, “Ryder isn’t here, is she? And you know why?”

“Of course I know why! You weren’t the only one that day, Peebee. We were all there when they took her. Damn it.”

Vetra took her glass in hand and squeezed it to relieve the pressure she felt inside.

“I know…”, whispered Peebee. “But this time, I’m sure. You have to believe me , Vetra. I wouldn’t have asked you to come here if it wasn’t the case.”

“You didn’t. Prika Biva did”, corrected her friend.

“Cut the shit, V. You know what I mean. This time, it’s different.”

It was too much for Vetra. Losing Ryder has been one of the hardest thing their team had to live. They were powerless to stop Ryder to be taken that day, on the Quarian Ark. No one could have.

“It’s been three years, Pelessaria. You have to accept that Sara is probably dead by now. Or exalted, or…”

“Or what? That’s it? You give up? If there’s even a slightly chance that Ryder’s alive, I’m taking it. She would never, _never_ give up on one of us. And you know that.”

“And I know she wouldn’t want us to take that risk and focus on finding a way to protect Heleus from the Kett and their madness”, answered Vetra. “That I know.”

Peebee felt her anger building inside, she needed to leave. “You know nothing.” She raised and started to walk toward the exit.

“I know more than you think…”, answered Vetra, sadly.

Peebee stopped, feeling Vetra’s eyes on her. She turned her head a little, showing her profile. “She’s your family too.” And she disappeared, leaving Vetra alone with those last words.

“She’s my family…” She closed her eyes, thinking about Ryder, and Sid and how shitty she felt right now and for the past three years… Of course Ryder was her family too.. Of course she would do anything for Sid… Even the impossible…

“Damn you, Prika Biva.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok ! It's short, I know. But I wanted to take the temperature, so to speak. I'm going to continue because I want to know what's going to happen xD  
> But I'm curious to know if you're intrigued too. Did you like it? nah? yeah? maybe?


	2. A life for a life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks ago, Peebee is on her own, visiting one of her favorite golden worlds, when a mysterious encounter happens. Or how it all started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Well, thanks for the kudos and comments guys. It's highly appreciated and motivating ^^ Let's dive in and see what happens to our favorite blue pancake.

_A few weeks ago._

Sand. Sand everywhere. Worst than Eos, Elaaden was a living hell for Peebee. The weather was still hot, even after Ryder had activated the Remnant Vault, three years ago.

“Speaking of hell…”, she said before stepping inside The Paradise.

As soon as she put a foot inside the Paradise, she knew something was wrong. Darker than usual, messier than her room after a week of research. And if she had doubts before, the tip of the gun pressed on her back sold it.

“I’m not looking for troubles…”, she raised her hands to emphasize her words. A few feet on her left was Annea, bloody and unconscious on the ground. _Please, just don’t be dead…_ Her yellow and green eyes scanned the area for something, _anything_ that could help her ease the situation. _That’s it!_  Just above the counter was a metallic sphere suspended in a sun beam where she could see the room reflect on it. What happened next was what we could call a miracle. And what better place than the Paradise to see that happen?

The asari heard the attacker pressed the trigger, at the same time she felt something go through her from the opposite direction, so she knew it wasn’t the amo. She dodged, put her right knee on the ground while catching the attacker’s arm with her hands and with a biotic impulse, she jumped and knocked him hard on the ceiling. The unconscious body fell on the ground next to her and she picked up his gun.

“Damn it”, she cursed and ran next to Annea, checking her vitals. When the angara felt Peebee’s hand on her arm, she woke up and coughed some blood. The asari helped her in a better position.

“Annea, what happened here?”, asked Peebee.

“Someone attacked me”, answered the angara, still a little dizzy from the blood loss.

“Obviously.” Peebee’s sarcasm wasn’t lost to Annea who gave her a pointed look. “Sorry. What did he want?”

The angara asked silently Peebee’s help to stand up and walked behind the counter of the Paradise and sat on her chair.

Annea drank some water and took a deep breath. Next to her, Peebee was starting to feel impatient but said nothing. Finally, the wounded angara raised her head to look at her.

“You”, she said, simply.

It wasn’t exactly what Peebee expected to hear. “Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Whether the angara was near her death and wanted to save her last strengths or she wanted to make Peebee beg for information.

“Why? Did he say something? What did he ask?”, questioned the asari.

“No. He knew you were coming and was waiting for you. He said nothing more. Didn’t ask a single question except…”

Annea started to twitch uncomfortably in her chair, avoiding Peebee’s questioning eyes.

“Except what? Annea, now is not the time to play hide and seek with words”, said the asari, her voice strong and steady.

“He asked me if you knew about… _Remini”_ , said the angara, not knowing what it meant. “I said I didn’t know a damn thing about that and whether or not you did.”

“Remini? I never heard that name before…”, she said, thoughtfully.

In that moment, the attacker started to move again and Peebee was fast to react. She jumped above the counter and turned him on his back with a kick of her boots. He groaned from the impact and surrendered when he saw the asari pointing his own gun at him.

“Who are you and who sent you?”, asked Peebee between clenched teeth.

“The first question is irrelevant. The second one, well…”, he started to laugh. _He fucking laughs?!_

She single-kneeled on his torso with strength, making him cough and slowly putting the gun under his jaw.

“You think it’s funny, don’t you? Keeping information from me, trying to kill me… yeah…”, she smiled an unsettling smile.

“I won’t..”, he started to say but she cut him from saying more by hitting the gun on his helmet, playfully.

“no, no, you don’t get to talk. As you said, you’re irrelevant. You have nothing to offer, nothing to give. You couldn’t even finish what you were supposed to do. You’re no use to me. At least, not like that”, she said, in a cold voice.

“What do you mean..”, he tried to ask but the only answer he received was a punch in his head before the asari took off his helmet.

“Ah… We have a winner!”, her voice full a fake joy. She straddled him, the gun still under his jaw. She put her free hand on his torso and slowly reached his face. “Humans are so fragile and short-lived…” For a moment, Peebee let herself think about Ryder, but quickly refocused on the task at hands. “Tell me, do you know about  asari melting?” He said nothing, of course. “You see, I’m going to enter your mind, find the answers I want and in the process, well.. your brain is going to melt. A collateral damage. Painful but necessary.”

“You’re not going to do it”, he said, but his voice betrayed him. He was afraid. _Good_.

“Try me”, she dared him. She felt energy coursed through her body, sparkling, her eyes started to go black, or so it seemed…

“Wait! Wait!” he begged her. She closed her eyes before looking back at him, full yellow and green eyes. _Too easy._

“Who sent you? Talk”, she asked, her voice cold as ice.

“I don’t know their name. They contact me via emails. They pay a lot”, he blurted.

“When did you start working for them? Did they tell you why they wanted me dead?” She needed to know more.

“I.. I…” He seemed to have a hard time to remember. _Strange_. “I was in cryo and.. No, I was working on Kadara and.. No.. I..”, he closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming in full force. “They told me to find you on Elaaden and to kill you.”

Peebee had a bad feeling about all of it. She grabbed him by his collar and brought his face near hers.

“And what about Remini? What is it? Why did you ask Annea if I knew about that?”, she urged.

“I had to find out if you had heard about it. I…”, he clenched his jaw.

“What’s Remini?!”, she tried again, each time more desperate than the last.

“I.. I can’t.. I don’t know… Derc… Derc knows.. I.. Stop, stop it!”, he shouted. From renew strengths, he pushed Peebee off of him and took back his weapon.

Peebee grabbed her own gun, ready to shoot him first but it wasn’t necessary as he was the one to end his own life.

There she was, sitting on the floor with the man who was hired to kill her, dead with a hole in his head, a few feet from her and more questions than before. Someone wanted her dead, what was Remini? Who was Derc?

 _Derc.. Derc_..

“I hope you’re gonna help me clean this mess, Peebee”, said the angara, from behind the counter.

“Really?” She looked at Annea and then at the dead body and then at Annea again. “Ugh...”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so... That's how the new lead started. Who wants Peebee dead? What's Remini? WTF was wrong with this bounty hunter? Who's Derc? Who's Annea?  
> Well, that one I can answer.. She's the owner of the Paradise, the one you help (or not) with the flophouse. In this story, Ryder helped her and didn't interfered with her business. So, they're buddies xD (also, Peebee was with Ryder on every quests/missions, so she knows everyone Ryder knows.)
> 
> Anyway, we will know more in the next chapter! And there will be more badass Peebee for sure.
> 
> Thanks for reading !


	3. The poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her encounter on Elaaden, Peebee seeks answers to her new questions and makes it a point to find the one who could have them. Follows unexpected reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title inspired by 'The Poison' - Sanders Bohlke

 

The stinking volutes of the Kadara’s slums were still present. Even if in three years the climatic conditions had improved, this didn’t seem to apply to the urban development of Kadara, or at least to its inhabitants. _Some things never change._

After using the boarding pier terminal to join Kadara's Slums, newly renamed Kadara's Sub, Peebee headed for the entrance of The Tartarus. The slums had grown to occupy all the vacant space a few years ago. You could find everything here. Information, merchandises, tech. If you wanted to disappear, here was the place to go. Same way to find someone. A true hub for trade of all kinds, all species combined. Yes, Kadara's Sub was the hidden face of Kadara and its stronghold was the Tartarus bar.

After leaving Annea on Elaaden, not without having gathered the information and pieces she needed for her project, Peebee had remembered where she had met this Derc. One of Ryder's missions, on Kadara. A salarian with dubious objectives who wanted samples of Baryte.

She walked between people, fuzzy faces, her only focus was to find Derc and finally have concrete answers.

"Hey, you want a V-rush?", called a girl.

She remembered her face. All the slightest details seemed to come back to her. All the people they'd met, she could almost hear Ryder’s voice in her head ... _No, it's over_ ... She closed her eyes and shook her head briefly as if to take this idea off her mind.

"What's your name?" She asked, without really knowing why she was bothering to.

This seemed to surprise the young woman who used her foot to push from the wall and straighten up, walking a few steps towards Peebee.

"Cassandra, but you can call me whatever you want," she whispered sensually.

Peebee stopped her by putting her index finger between her eyes. The young woman began to squint comically.

"Cassandra, you have two possibilities and a choice to make. You’ve just crossed the universe to join a new galaxy and you can either choose to continue to grill your brain with this damn V-rush and waste that chance or... you can choose to be a part of something bigger here. "

Peebee lowered her hand and continued to walked forward, leaving the young woman speechless and bewildered.

“Look what you did to me, Ryder…”, whispered Peebee to herself. There she was, standing in front of the Tartarus. She used her omni-tool to open the door and made her way in. Loud music, dancers in cage, red lights, yeah everything was the same. Except for the gun pressed on her back.

“You've gotta be kidding me”, fumed Peebee.

She felt a hot breath on her right cheek, her hand closed in a tight fist, ready to punch whoever this was when…

“Hey babe, miss me?”, the voice whispered in her ears. She could smell the vapors of alcohol emanating from her breathing.

“Kalinda…”, hissed Peebee.

Without warning, the other asari grabbed her shoulder and made her turn around, crashing her lips on Peebee’s.

The kiss stopped as quick as it had started when Peebee pushed her back, unpleased.

“What the hell, Kalinda?! Are you drunk?”

“Not as much as I want to, apparently”, answered the other asari lifting her bottle of poison and taking a long sip. “What brings you here, Pelessaria? Need another piece of Remtech? The last signal of Keelah Si'yah? Or maybe…”, she took a step closer, “you just want to fool around like old times?”, purred Kalinda.

Peebee turned her head to avoid another unwanted kiss, and Kalinda just bursted into a light laugh. “My, my… Look at you. Being faithful to a dead lover.”

This time, she didn’t hold back and punched Kalinda straight in her jaw, making her lose hold of her drink which shattered on the floor.

“You better get used to it”, said the older asari, massaging her jaw. “You know we are fated to out-live other species. The sooner you’ll accept that, the better. Don’t get attached if you can’t move on, Pelessaria. I’m saying this as your friend.”

“And what a friend you are, Kalinda”, scolded Peebee.

“I never said I was perfect, my dear.”

“Anyway, I have to find someone and I don’t have time to chitchat with you.“ Peebee walked past Kalinda and went to the bar to talk with Kian Dagher, the owner.

Kalinda followed her anyway.

Once the young asari approached the bar, Kian’s smile grew bigger. “Peebs, in flesh and bones!”

“Kian, nice to see you again”, she smiled in return.

“What can I get you? A Varren’s jaw?”, asked the man.

“Nah, I’m not thirsty for a drink”, she was cut by Kalinda whom put both her hands on the counter.

“But I am! Give me her drink, it will do”, said the asari, casting her brightest smile.

“Of course, Kalinda. Here, on the house”, responded Kian, a little quickly. _Uh?_

“Back to business here”, gestured Peebee to catch the owner’s attention. “I need to find Derc. Do you know where he is?”

“Derc, uh?”, Kian scratched his chin, thinking. “Haven’t seen him in a while actually, now that you ask.”

“Any idea where he could be or someone who could know something?”, asked Peebee, hopeful. But Kian shook his head.

“Sorry. I wish I could help but… Maybe Vidal will know more, he has ears everywhere.”

“That’s a big no. Reyes and I, well… Let’s say we’re not in good terms for now. I’d rather roll myself into Elaaden’s hot sand than ask him something”, finished the young asari.

“Interesting picture, Pelessaria”, laughed Kalinda.

“Pelessaria?”, asked Kian, curious and ready to laugh too.

“Shut up. Both of you”, growled Peebee. But it had the opposite effect and both of them bursted into laugh. She pinched her nose, tired and waited for them to calm down.

“Are you done, yet?”, obvious exasperation in her voice.

“Yes, sorry, sorry… Pelessaria”, said Kian, muffling another laugh.

 “If you call me Pelessaria again I will knock you out on those bars with my mind”, warned Peebee. He gulped and shook positively his head. “Good. Now, is there someone _except_ Reyes who could know a damn thing?”

Kalinda turned and leaned back against the counter, looking at her, her eyes full of knowledge Peebee didn't have... yet.

“What? What do you know?”, inquired the young asari.

“Oh, now you want to _chitchat_ with me? How convenient”, said Kalinda, pretending to be hurt in her own self-love.

“If you know something, just say it. It’s important, this is not a game”, pleaded Peebee.

“Oh but it is and will always be a game, my dear. Whether you want to play it or not.”

“Fine”, hissed Peebee. “What do you want in exchange of what you know?”

“Now we talk”, smiled Kalinda. “I want your word that the moment I will ask you to do something, you will do it, without question”, finished the older asari, her voice strangely steady and serious compared to a few minutes ago.

“You’re fucking drunk if you think I’ll accept this deal, Kalinda”, laughed Peebee. But the seriousness in the other asari’s features didn’t help ease the bad feeling inside of her.

Kalinda pushed herself off the counter and started to walk towards the exit. “Good luck to find Derc on your own then.”

 _This is insane_. “I can’t accept that”, she muffled to herself. _She’s insane_. “Who knows what she’s going to ask me?! This is crazy. There’s no way I could agree with that. And without question? In what world?”, she continued. _I’m insane_. “I need answers… I have to find out what Derc knows about…”, she closed her eyes a few seconds, took a deep breath before turning around and starting to rush outside the Tartarus. “Damn it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Step by step, the story unfolds. What do you think? If you have questions or demands, just ask and I will see what I can do :)  
> It may seem slow at first, I'm setting up the elements of the plot, if I could I would jump directly to THE reunion xD... But you know, I have to make you wait, and so do I ... lol  
> Thanks again for reading !


End file.
